BROTHERLY LOVE
By Sarah Wartman
PART TWENTY-ONE
I had so much fun with JC that weekend. He came with me to my classes on Friday, and I almost think he had a good time. As good of a time you can have in a college lecture class. I only had two classes that morning, Introduction to Macroeconomics and U.S. Politics. I found my friend Jenny in my Macroecon class and quickly sat down next to her on the third row.
“What’s up girl?” Jenny asked me, eyeing JC up and down.
“Nothing. Jenny, this is Josh. Josh, Jenny.”
“Nice to meet you,” she said, grinning at me widely. She winked at me and I just grinned.
JC leaned over to whisper in my ear. “I feel like the oldest one here.”
“You probably are,” I teased him.
After that class, I had five minutes to get across campus and JC could hardly keep up.
“Why are you walking so fast?” he asked me, struggling to keep up.
“We got to get to Politics. Hurry up,” I told him, grabbing his hand and pulling him along with me. We got to politics right before the lecture started and I sat down next to one of my roommates and best friend, Angela. Before I could introduce them, Angela spoke up.
“So, you’re the famous Josh.”
JC eyed me and said, “what have you been saying?”
I sat back against my chair and grinned. Josh looked around the room and Angela leaned into to whisper in my ear.
“He’s a keeper.”
I looked over at her and grinned.
The rest of the weekend, we were hermits, staying in the apartment a lot. He took me out to eat at some nice restaurants and I just had the time of my life. But late Monday afternoon came and JC had to leave. It was sad, but I knew I’d see him again. I told JC to call me when he got home. When he did call, he sounded odd, distant. Only months later did I find out why….
~*~*~*~
JC unlocked the door to his house and threw his keys on a nearby table. He walked into the living and was shocked to see Chris sitting on his sofa, staring at the wall across from him.
“Uh, hey Chris,” JC said, walking into the kitchen. “What are you doing here, you scared me half to death just sitting there like a zombie.”
“What are you doing with my sister JC?”
JC froze and slowly stuck his head around the corner, trying to hide the shocked look on his face. “Huh?”
Chris turned towards him, a glazed look in his eyes. “I said, what are you doing with my sister?” he asked, saying the words slowly so JC could absorb them.
“I, I don’t know what you’re talking about,” JC stuttered out, walking back into the kitchen.
Chris stood up and followed JC. Chris leaned up against the kitchen counter and just watched JC, looking for any signs of nervousness. Chris just stood there in silence.
Finally, as JC sat at the kitchen table and smiled weakly at him, Chris cleared his throat and said, “JC, I’m not an idiot. Obviously you and Isabelle think otherwise. So, I’m asking you again. And God help me if you lie to me….what exactly is going on between you and my baby sister?”
PART TWENTY-TWO
“Nothing, Chris. You’re just paranoid.”
Chris slowly sauntered to the table and slowly sat down. His silence was making JC uncomfortable and he shifted in his chair. Chris just sat across from him, not saying a word, just watching JC eat a sandwich. JC avoided any eye contact with Chris and acting interested in a magazine sitting in front of him.
“Damn it, JC!” Chris yelled, slamming his fist on the table.
“Alright!” JC shrieked, throwing his sandwich on the plate. “Jesus Chris, it’s not a big deal.”
“Maybe not to you, but it is to me. She’s my sister,” Chris told him, leaning towards him.
“I understand that, that’s why we decided not to tell you, we thought you might react to this.”
“So, how long did you think you could pull it off?” Chris asked him.
JC cleared his throat and looked away. “I didn’t think about it,” JC muttered.
“How long has it been going on?”
“Nine, well, almost ten months,” JC told him.
“What?” Chris yelled, standing up quickly, his chair falling on the floor. “You’ve got to be kidding me!”
“Chris, calm down,” JC said softly. Chris was starting to scare him, he’d never seen him act this way.
“I will not calm down! That’s my baby sister! How would you like it if I dated your sister?”
“I don’t have a sister,” JC muttered and instantly regretted it.
Chris groaned loudly. “Don’t be a smart ass. I’m putting an end to it. Now.”
JC shot up quickly. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me,” Chris said, walking up to JC so that he was just inches from his face. “You will not see her again, is that clear?”
“You are not her father, Chris. I understand why you feel you need to protect her, but you don’t need to protect her from me! I’m one of your best friends!”
“Exactly! Best friends know better than to move in on family. She’s my sister, therefore, she’s off limits.”
“You can’t keep ruling her life like this, Chris,” JC yelled at him.
“I can do as I please,” Chris stated. “And I’m putting an end to it.”
“But Chris”
“But nothing JC. You want to know why I need to protect her? She’s been hurt a lot. Our father left us, remember? Therefore, I have to take his place in the family, and if that means keeping her away from guys like you, then that’s what I have to do. No matter what.”
“Wait a second,” JC said, shaking his head. “Guys like me? What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I know you very well. I know you better than anyone. You’re excessive drinking, the habit of jumping from one girl to another. I’m stopping this before you can hurt her.”
“I wouldn’t do that to Isabelle,” JC told him.
“What makes her so different than the hundreds of others?” Chris asked.
“Because I love her,” JC stated.
Chris studied his face for a second, trying to see if he was serious. Then a thought crossed his mind.
“Have you slept with her?”
JC looked away quickly, trying to hide his guilt. But before he knew it, he felt Chris’s fist slam into his cheek.
PART TWENTY-THREE
“Jesus, Chris!” JC yelled, rubbing his cheek.
“Let that be a warning to you. If you treasure that pretty face of yours and the future of the group, you will stop seeing her. Do I make myself clear?”
“You wouldn’t,” JC whispered.
“Just watch me,” Chris said and stormed out, slamming the front door. JC wiped a few tears that had fallen down his face walked over to the phone.
~*~*~*~
It was Tuesday night and I was just in my room, catching up on some reading. JC had called the night before to tell me he had gotten home okay. He was really short with me and suddenly had to go. It was so unlike him, but I just figured he was tired and needed some sleep. I was jarred from my thoughts by a light tapping on the door.
“Come in,” I said. I finished the sentence I was reading and turned to see who it was. I gasped when I saw a somber JC in my doorway.
“Oh my god,” I whispered, standing up. “What’s up, what’s wrong?” I asked, starting to get frantic.
“Nothing happened. I need to talk to you, let’s go for a ride,” he told me and disappeared around the corner. My heart skipped a beat. I just knew he had bad news for me. Why else would he drive four hours again to see me if it wasn’t bad news?
We got in his car and JC was silent for quite a while. Finally, I turned to him and sighed.
“What is it Josh? Is it my brother? Justin? Is everyone okay?”
“Yeah, they’re fine,” he told me, stopping at a red light.
“Well, what is it then?”
He looked at me with pain filled eyes. “It’s me. It’s us.”
“What?” I whispered. “What do you mean?”
“Look Isabelle,” JC said, the light turning green. “You’re a great person and it kills me to do this to you.”
“Oh my god,” I mumbled and looked out the passenger side window. I knew what was coming.
“Please don’t make this any harder than it has to be,” JC begged. “It’s killing me, doing this, but I have to. We can’t keep running around, so I’ve decided it’s just better to put an end to this. But Bella, I want you to know I still care about you a lot and”
“Take me home JC,” I told him, tears slowly rolling down my face. But I continued to stare out my window. I didn’t want him to see my tears.
“But Isabelle, please listen. If I didn’t”
I turned quickly and looked at him, not hiding the tears that were flowing down my face. “Take me home!” I yelled. I wasn’t in the mood to break down and tell him not to do this, that we could make it work. I learned a long time ago that when JC had his mind set on something, there was no stopping him.
JC looked at me and it looked as if he was going to cry also. He nodded and quickly drove him.
We pulled up to my apartment complex and JC put his Jeep into park and turned to me.
“We can still be friends, can’t we?” he asked me.
I studied his face for a moment. I didn’t say a word, just reached for the door handle so I could escape this nightmare. I ran towards my apartment, not even looking back.
PART TWENTY-FOUR
“Isabelle Kirkpatrick, could you please stay after class.”
I groaned and sat back down. It was a week since JC had broken up with me. I hadn’t felt the same since, just sad and depressed all the time. I was thankful for Zack, he was my savior. I smiled at him as he left our vocal class. He waved to tell me he was going to wait for me outside.
“I have a big favor to ask you Isabelle,” my teacher asked me as the few remaining students sauntered out of the room.
“What Mr. Cane?”
“Would you sing a solo for the winter vocal concert the first week of November?”
“Oh, Mr. Cane, I don’t know”
“Oh, please Isabelle. I know you don’t like singing solos, but I have one more slot that needs filled. I think it would be good experience for you. You can pick any song you like.”
“I don’t think I can, sorry Mr. Cane,” I told him, picking up backpack.
“Please Isabelle. I’m begging you.”
I sighed. He obviously was in a jam and I felt bad. I smiled weakly at him and said, “okay, fine, I’ll do it.”
“Thanks Isabelle. I really appreciate it.”
~*~*~*~
“You won’t believe what I got suckered in to today.”
“What is that?” Justin asked me that evening on the phone.
“Singing a solo for our concert in November.”
Justin whistled. “That’s fly Belle. You know you have an awesome voice. Be sure to let me know when it is so I can sit in the front row. Along with Chris and JC.”
I scoffed. “Right.”
“Oh Belle. You know he still loves you. Did he ever tell you why he did this in the first place?”
“No and I don’t really feel like talking about it.”
“Okay, sorry. But on a better note, we have Chris’s surprise birthday party all planned.”
“It’s nearly a month away Justin,” I reminded him.
“I know. But we’re excited. It’s going to be the Saturday night before his birthday, you think you’ll be able to make it?”
“Of course I will Justin. I’m probably gonna bring my roommates with me.”
“I got dibs,” Justin yelled.
I laughed. “Whatever you say Justin.”
“Are they cute?”
“I guess,” I told him.
“Okay, but there’s another thing,” he muttered.
I sighed. “What Justin?”
“It’s at JC’s house.”
I grew silent. That house held so many memories, I didn’t know how excited I would be to be there again.
“And JC’s okay with me coming over there?” I asked him.
“I think so. I don’t know why he wouldn’t Isabelle, it’s your brother’s birthday party.”
I cleared my throat. “Okay, I got to go study. I’ll call you later.”
“Okay, bye.”
I sat my phone down and sighed. I knew this was bound to happen sometime, he’s one of Chris’s best friends afterall. I just didn’t know how I would be able to go to Chris’s birthday party and act happy, seeing as how JC could rip every part of happy out of me.
PART TWENTY-FIVE
“You guys about ready?” I yelled up the stairs.
“Yes, coming!” Abby and Laura shrieked. I sighed and sat down on the sofa as I waited for them. I was both excited and dreading Chris’s surprise party. I think brought Laura and Abby more for reassurance than for them to meet the guys. Angela, my other roommate couldn’t come because her boyfriend was coming in to town.
I looked up as Abby and Laura ran down the stairs, dressed in their best and I smiled. “It’s about damn time,” I told them.
~*~*~*~
There were so many people there, it was hard to get in the door. I looked around for someone I knew and smiled when I saw Joey.
“Hey,” I said, walking up next to him.
“Hey Belle,” he said, hugging me. “How are you doing?”
“I’m okay. I’d like you to meet my friends, Abby and Laura.”
“Why, hello,” he said seductively, kissing their hands, and I laughed. He never failed to amuse me.
“Where is everyone?” I asked him, looking around.
“I just saw Lance and Justin running around. JC is out back,” he told me.
“Okay, thanks,” I said, and made my way around JC’s house, looking for them, but failed. They were no where to be seen. Chris showed up, and we all hid and yelled surprise, like you do at a surprise party.
Chris found me and hugged me and soon left me to talk to some high school friends. Laura, being the typical flirty person she was, had five guys around her, flirting like crazy, completely ignoring me. I began to wonder why I brought her in the first place. Thankfully Abby stuck by my side.
“So, where’s JC? That boy has a couple of swift kicks coming at him,” she told me, grinning.
I smiled at her. “He’s not worth the effort.”
All of a sudden, I heard a shriek. A familiar shriek. I walked around the corner to see Laura engulfed in a huge hug with JC. If my heart could have possibly been wounded any more, another hole was put right through it. How could Laura do this to me? Ex boyfriends were off-limits. Period.
JC pulled away from her and looked up. Our eyes met and I couldn’t pull my gaze away from him. It was like I was hypnotized. I watched JC grab Laura’s hand and pull her towards Abby and I. Abby looked over at me quickly to see my reaction and I sucked in my breath.
“Hey Ab,” JC said to Abby, leaning over to hug her. I knew JC well, and I knew he was already drunk and probably had been for quite some time. Abby looked over at me and smiled weakly as JC gave her an awkward hug. Then he turned to me.
“Isabelle,” he whispered.
“JC,” I stated, trying to keep my voice from quivering.
He just stood there for a moment. Finally, he leaned over and hugged me. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, not wanting to let go. I took a whiff of his cologne and was lost in another world. But, finally we parted and JC’s hand found my cheek, rubbing it with his thumb.
“How are you doing doll face?”
I looked over at Abby for some reassurance. Why was he doing this to me?
“I can’t do this,” I muttered and quickly left with Abby close behind.
TO BE CONTINUED